I hate writing about Muhammad Ali, only because everyone has said it all already. However, maybe that's part of the definition of a hero - everybody has a story or a moment they remember. One of my most favorite portraits now hanging in our home was a gift from photographer, Steven Katzman, many years ago.

I shared the screen shot above from Steven's website because it deserves so much more than what I was able to grab with the reflection and the lighting in our hallway. The image on the right is a definite argument for non-reflective glass.

The portrait is part of a series Steven did called "Reflections of the Spirit." It's well worth a visit to his website and reading what he wrote about the project.​Besides being an incredible portrait, Ali, like many of you, was one of my heroes. It was probably close to twenty years ago I got to meet him at a PMDA dinner before the PMA convention. It was only a two-second handshake, but memorable nonetheless. That night, Howard Bingham, photographer and close friend to Ali was receiving the Photographer of the Year award and Ali was there just to show his support.

Over the years I've shared some quotes from Muhammad Ali, my favorite used to be on the NILMDTS website a few years back:

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."

While Muhammad Ali may have passed, the memories and inspiration he left behind is an incredible legacy for all of us to share.

"Why?"

Check out"Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog.It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're coming up on 100 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.

Authors

Skip Cohen is President of SCU, founder of Marketing Essentials International and past president of Rangefinder Publishing and WPPI. He's been an active participant in the photographic industry since joining Hasselblad USA in 1987 as president. He has co-authored six books on photography and actively supports dozens of projects each year involving photographic education.

Scott Bourne

Scott Bourne was the first Dean of Marketing at SCU. He helped to establish this blog as a resource for aspiring and working professional photographers. He's an educator, artist, author and from time to time you'll see his name on guest posts that are always relevant to photography and marketing!